SPFL Team of the Week

Craig Fowler selects his latest SPFL Team of the Week, with St Johnstone striker Steven MacLean the star man following his hat-trick against Hamilton.

Goalkeeper - Greg Fleming (Ayr United)
Ayr were touted as the team most likely to give Dunfermline a challenge for the Ladbrokes  League 1 title prior to the season starting and they haven’t done much wrong since losing at Albion Rovers on the opening day. One of the main reasons for Saturday’s 2-0 win at East End Park was the performance of Fleming. The former Pars shot-stopper made two excellent saves from Michael Moffat and Joe Cardle with the match poised at 0-0, and made several other fine stops in the second half to preserve his clean sheet.

Right-back - Shay Logan (Aberdeen)
Saturday saw a return to vintage Logan as he tirelessly sprinted up and down the right flank all game. And what a time to produce such a performance! The Dons' 2-1 victory over Celtic proves to everyone - not least themselves - that they have the capability to give the champions a serious run for their money in this year's title race.

Centre-back - Paul Quinn (Aberdeen)
With his winning goal, Quinn was no doubt the hero on Saturday, though he deserves a spot in this select XI for his qualities as a defender. Once Mark Reynolds returns from injury, there's a strong chance Quinn may not start for Aberdeen, which shows the strength in depth Derek McInnes has to utilise. Against Celtic he was a towering presence and, in him and defensive partner Ash Taylor, Aberdeen have two leaders at the back who are in constant communication with team-mates.

Centre-back - Ricky Little (Arbroath)
Two weeks ago, East Fife striker Nathan Austin made this team for a dominant display in his side's victory over Queen's Park. On Saturday, Little had the unenviable task of keeping Austin and his strike partner Kevin Smith quiet in Arbroath's visit to Methil, and boy did he rise to the challenge. From a scrappy match, Arbroath managed to pull out a vital victory as they look to turn around what's been a poor start in Ladbrokes League 2.

Left-back - Scott Linton (Clyde)
Barry Ferguson pulled off quite a coup when he convinced Linton, a regular with Dumbarton in the Championship over the past two seasons, to drop down into League 2. So far the left-back has not disappointed. He put in another excellent shift in Clyde's 4-2 win over Annan Athletic. A complete full-back, Linton is positionally sound, strong in the tackle and always willing to get forward and support. He also takes a pretty mean penalty, which he demonstrated against Annan.

Midfielder - David Galt (Queen's Park)
The No 10 playmaker is a wonderfully-skilful player and he used those talents to great effect as Queen's Park steamrolled East Stirlingshire in a 5-1 victory. Throughout the match he linked well with striker Chris Duggan and he also made a telling mark on the scoresheet. Galt won the penalty which brought the Spiders a third goal. This came at a crucial juncture since the visitors had just made it 2-1. Galt then put the game out of sight with a well-drilled finish.

Midfielder - Liam Henderson (Hibernian)
Henderson was handed a lengthy contract extension at Celtic prior to his loan switch to Easter Road, so you know the kid has talent. What has impressed Hibs fans most has been his willingness to scrap and fight for every ball, and selflessly run himself into the ground in every match. He showed these qualities in his loan club's 3-0 win over Alloa, where Henderson netted the opening goal just before half-time.

Midfielder - Graeme Shinnie (Aberdeen)
It's a bit too early to anoint a player with such praise, but if Shinnie continues his terrific form over the course of the season, and Aberdeen are able to take a league challenge down to the wire, then there's no doubt he'll be viewed as the signing of the summer. A terrific leader, who is capable of playing at full-back and in the centre of the park, Shinnie is such a driving influence for Aberdeen. Against Celtic he fought like a lion in midfield, refusing to allow Celtic's playmakers any time in dangerous areas, while his willingness to get forward and support helped him win the penalty that brought Aberdeen back into the match.

Forward - Lee Miller (Falkirk)
This is an unusual inclusion since Miller played only 45 minutes at the weekend, but then there was very little 'usual' about Falkirk's 3-2 come-from-behind victory at St Mirren. The hosts were cruising until Peter Houston decided to inject Miller into proceedings at half-time. What then occurred was a complete transformation in Falkirk's performance. The big striker's abilities to hold the ball up helped drag his team further up the park and was the perfect foil for strike partner John Baird, who netted two goals in an improbable fightback.

Forward - Martyn Waghorn (Rangers)
The intelligent striker took his league goal tally to six for the season with a powerful finish from an acute angle in Rangers' 3-0 victory over Livingston. Incredibly, it was his first strike from open play. Mark Warburton will be hoping that gives his summer signing the confidence to go on and become even more ruthless in front of goal, because there's no doubt his excellent movement and ability to link with team-mates brings so much to this table-topping Rangers team.

Forward - Steven MacLean (St Johnstone)
The man who sealed Saints’ Scottish Cup triumph in 2014 is in terrific goalscoring form right now, having netted six goals in four games. The extra confidence from having a Midas touch in front of goal has helped improve not only his individual play but the overall threat carried by Saints, who are getting back to their best following a slow start to the season. That's because MacLean is such an important cog in the St Johnstone machine and he certainly demonstrated that in Saturday's 4-1 win over Hamilton Accies - linking well with team-mates, netting three goals and providing an assist for the other. He is this week's star man.